Take only what you need to survive. - Lone Starr
What can I say, Bill Pullman is a prohet. Now I just need to figure out why I'm not following the man's advice. With fewer than 24 hours before I'm airborne over the Pacific, it was time to assemble what will be the sum of my possessions for the next seven months. I also wanted to catalog everything I'm taking, hoping it will make the insurance claim process a bit smoother, should one of my fellow travelers decide his need for my stuff exceeds my own. Until now, I hadn't actually put everything in one spot and I was rather shocked to see exactly how much crap I'm going to be portering around while I'm abroad.
I'm assuming that some of this stuff will be in a Bangkok trash can by the end of the first week. I've gotten conflicting stories on sneakers, some say they never wear them, others say they won't leave home with out them; since I wear them pretty frequently at home, I'm taking an old ratty pair that I won't mind tossing. You're probably asking yourself why the hell I have an airport giftshop's worth of paperback fiction before I even leave home. I'm wondering the same thing. Initially I had three novels, in addition to the guide books. A well-traveled friend suggested those would last me a week. On his advice I ventured once again to Borders and picked up a few more titles.
What I'll be reading on the road:
John le Carre. The Little Drummer Girl
John le Carre. The Tailor of Panama
John le Carre. Single & Single
John le Carre. The Constant Gardener
Robert Ludlum. The Matarese Circle
Robert Ludlum. The Matarese Countdown
Also, what I'll be listening to on the road: iPod Library
Now comes the task of packing the bag, I'm estimating the load at about 35 lbs., less weight than one usually takes for a 3+ day camping trip, so I think the load will be completely manageable. That said, I know I'm bringing too much stuff and I'll probably use fewer than half of the things I see as necessaties right now; luckily storage in Bankok is dirt cheap, and trash cans are free.
My next post will very likely be from the other side of the world. I leave Albany at 7 AM EST tomorrow and I land in Bangkok 31 hours later. I'm planning on crashing in the airport the first night (see http://www.sleepinginairports.com for a rather amusing look at the world's airports), as I have no desire to attempt to navigate Bangkok at 3 AM. I can check into the guesthouse (http://www.suk11.com) at 8 AM and after some food, I'm hoping to have enough energy to get out and see the city, rather than sleeping. Having never traveled through this many times zones before, I'm not sure how the jet lag is going to effect me, so this is all very tentative.
I'm assuming that some of this stuff will be in a Bangkok trash can by the end of the first week. I've gotten conflicting stories on sneakers, some say they never wear them, others say they won't leave home with out them; since I wear them pretty frequently at home, I'm taking an old ratty pair that I won't mind tossing. You're probably asking yourself why the hell I have an airport giftshop's worth of paperback fiction before I even leave home. I'm wondering the same thing. Initially I had three novels, in addition to the guide books. A well-traveled friend suggested those would last me a week. On his advice I ventured once again to Borders and picked up a few more titles.
What I'll be reading on the road:
John le Carre. The Little Drummer Girl
John le Carre. The Tailor of Panama
John le Carre. Single & Single
John le Carre. The Constant Gardener
Robert Ludlum. The Matarese Circle
Robert Ludlum. The Matarese Countdown
Also, what I'll be listening to on the road: iPod Library
Now comes the task of packing the bag, I'm estimating the load at about 35 lbs., less weight than one usually takes for a 3+ day camping trip, so I think the load will be completely manageable. That said, I know I'm bringing too much stuff and I'll probably use fewer than half of the things I see as necessaties right now; luckily storage in Bankok is dirt cheap, and trash cans are free.
My next post will very likely be from the other side of the world. I leave Albany at 7 AM EST tomorrow and I land in Bangkok 31 hours later. I'm planning on crashing in the airport the first night (see http://www.sleepinginairports.com for a rather amusing look at the world's airports), as I have no desire to attempt to navigate Bangkok at 3 AM. I can check into the guesthouse (http://www.suk11.com) at 8 AM and after some food, I'm hoping to have enough energy to get out and see the city, rather than sleeping. Having never traveled through this many times zones before, I'm not sure how the jet lag is going to effect me, so this is all very tentative.
posted by MPW at 4:48 PM
3 Comments:
What a great adventure, Matt! We are so excited for you! You are going to have so much fun: new places, new friends, memorable moments, new cultures, and great stories to tell when you are back in the USA! We love you!! You inspire the spirit in all of us! You are truly a special son. Love you always, mom and dad
HI Matt,
Am loving this! Thanks for sharing your great adventure.... one question comes to mind...
Being the apparently "unwell read" English major that I am,
who the hell is JOhn le Carre and should I be reading books by him? He must be good if you have invested in that many books by him! You've inspired me to check him out! Your mom is probably very upset reading this post (if she is) being the wonderful English teacher that she is!
Much love,
Be careful!
Sues
Matt -
What a great blog! Thanks for passing all of this along to us Stateside. Funny thing about the sleepinginairports web page -- Mike Bonheim has a post on that page. I accidentally ran across it a few months ago while performing my semi-annual internet stalking rituals...
Travel safe and have fun. I look forward to following your adventure.
-Shumway
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